Buzz… buzz… buzz…
The Hundred-Flower Spirit Bees weren't fast. Not really. But their movements? Impossible to track. They darted, weaved, and flickered through the shadowed forest like drifting sparks of gold.
The forest itself was a tangle. Towering trees swallowed the moonlight. Thick, uneven shrubs fought against every step. Each root and stone felt like a trap.
Darian, Seraphina, and Selene moved carefully, every sense stretched tight. Darian had pushed his soul force to its limit, probing the darkness for even the faintest stirrings of hidden beasts.
Soul force—awakened after condensing the Soul Moon and stepping into the Mortal Cleansing Realm—was more than just awareness. It spread like a tide, invisible but heavy, a spiritual pressure that could strike an enemy's mind as easily as their body.
"Although the Hundred-Flower Spirit Bee is considered a low-tier, first-grade demonic beast," Seraphina whispered, "they barely have any offensive power. They swarm only where spiritual energy flows from rare heaven-and-earth treasures. Wood-type, usually. Their presence almost always signals the presence of a treasure nearby. Rare… but priceless. I didn't expect to find them here in the Verdant Realm."
Darian's eyes flickered with excitement. Selene's too. Maybe this trip wasn't a waste after all.
They pressed on. Strange flowers and twisted grasses swept past. Massive trunks rose like walls in the gloom. Nearly half an hour passed, yet the bees continued at their steady pace. Visibility shrank to five paces. Without soul force, they would have been hopelessly lost.
This was the heart of the forest. The canopy formed a nearly impenetrable ceiling of black. Branches curled like coiled dragons. Every rustle made the night feel heavier, stranger.
"Stay alert," Darian murmured, his voice low and sharp as steel. "We're deep now."
Both companions nodded.
Buzz… buzz… buzz…
Suddenly, the swarm dipped sharply, vanishing from Seraphina's spiritual sense.
"Move," Darian ordered.
They broke into a run. Leaves whipped past. The forest opened into a gaping cave mouth, wide enough for three to walk side by side. Darkness swallowed everything beyond.
"They went inside," Seraphina confirmed.
Selene glanced at Darian. "Your call."
Darian's faint smile cut through the shadows. "We've come this far. The bees are harmless. They wouldn't dwell somewhere lethal. That means… probably no danger."
"Probably," Seraphina echoed softly.
"Then it's settled," Darian said. "No risk, no reward."
He leapt into the darkness.
The drop was brief—three breaths, no more. Darian landed lightly on uneven stone. Sacred Path of the Ancients energy swirled faintly around him in golden glow. No immediate threat.
Selene and Seraphina followed, weapons ready.
The tunnel wasn't pitch-black. Faint light shimmered deeper, reflecting off gray-white slabs underfoot. Darian gestured, and they moved toward it.
The floral scent grew stronger, more layered, and intoxicating. The bees were leading them. But heat pressed against their skin, growing oppressive with every step.
The path bent sharply. Then—light.
They emerged into a colossal cavern. Breath left their lungs.
Four-fifths of the chamber was a lake of molten rock. Its surface churned slowly and deadly, red and black. Heat struck like a living thing. The bees' buzzing echoed faintly across the chamber.
"My heavens…" Selene breathed. "A magma lake… under the forest? Volcano nearby?"
Narrow stone paths, barely a foot wide, twisted across the molten tide to scattered black-rock islands. The air shimmered in waves of heat. A pebble tumbled from above—hiss!—vanished instantly.
"There," Seraphina pointed.
On the far side, a small hole above the lava teemed with bees, golden blurs coming and going.
But eyes were drawn elsewhere.
At the lake's center, a lone platform of blackened stone rose, base scorched crimson. On it grew a plant unlike any they had seen: three feet tall, nine emerald leaves, topped with three bright red fruits, each shimmering faintly with a green aura.
"That's a heaven-and-earth treasure," Selene whispered, excitement tight in his voice. "The bees confirm it—wood-type for sure."
Seraphina's eyes widened. "No… It's more than that. Fire Spirit Emerald Fruit—a treasure of both fire and wood. Eating one refines Mystic Power, tempers the body, and balances the elements. Rare. Invaluable."
Darian's pulse raced. The glow promised immense energy—enough to upgrade his Hundred-City Jade Seal to the elusive blue grade.
Selene laughed, breaking the awe. "Such a treasure just sitting here? Not for long. Wait here—I'll get it."
Before Darian could stop him, Selene stepped onto the nearest stone path. The heat rose like a furnace. Darian's unease deepened.
Too quiet. Far too quiet.
Treasures this big were never unguarded. Guardians rarely forgave mistakes.
Darian followed without hesitation. Seraphina stayed at the bank, Mystic Power humming around her.
Selene reached the platform's edge unharmed. Darian's frown eased slightly.
"Hahaha… Fire Spirit Emerald Fruit! You're ours!"
The moment Selene reached for a fruit, something beneath the lava stirred.
Impossible. Nothing survived there.
Splash.
The sound repeated, now behind Selene.
"Selene! Behind you!" Seraphina's voice cracked across the heat.
The lava roared violently.
Rumble…
Molten rock exploded upward. Fifteen paces of coiled muscle and rage erupted—a serpent armored in dark-red scales, glistening with dripping fire. Its molten-gold eyes were fixed on the platform.
Darian saw it in an instant.
A guardian.
And it was coming for blood.